Toy associated accidents are quite common, with 40,000 accidents happening each year in the United Kingdom, which accounts for less than 1% of annual accidents. In 2005 in the U.S., 20 children under 15 years of age died in incidents associated with toys, and an estimated 202,300 children under 15 were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms for injuries associated with toys, according to data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System.
In the 2010 report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the number of toy related injuries treated in of U.S. hospital emergency hospitals is estimated to be 251,700 for all ages of which the number of injuries of children under 5 years is estimated to be around 89,000. Toys were associated with the death of 17 children under 15 in 2010 of which the majority of the children are 6 years old or younger.
Choking or aspiration of small parts of the toy may cause serious injuries (airway obstruction, asphyxiation) or in worst case it may even lead to a loss of life. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's report, the majority of the toy related deaths in 2010 were associated with airway obstruction or asphyxiation due to choking or aspiration of toys or small parts of the same.
Magnetix was a magnetic construction toy consisting of a combination of plastic building pieces containing embedded neodymium magnets, and steel bearing balls which can be connected together to form various geometric shapes and structures.
In 2006, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) ordered a recall of all Magnetix brand magnetic building sets. The official CPSC recall notice was issued after one death of a small child and four serious injuries requiring surgery.
Toy safety is the practice of ensuring that toys, especially those made for children, are safe, usually through the application of set safety standards. In many countries, commercial toys must be able to pass safety tests in order to be sold. In the U.S., some toys must meet national standards, while other toys may not have to meet a defined safety standard. In countries where standards exist, they exist in order to prevent accidents, but there have still been some high-profile product recalls after such problems have occurred. The danger is often not due to faulty design; usage and chance both play a role in injury and death incidents as well.
GB1080302 (Carr Fastener Company Limited) discloses means for attaching an axle to the wheel of a toy. In particular, GB1080302 provides an assembly comprising a wheel and an axle therefore both formed of synthetic plastics, an end of the axle being secured in a recess in the wheel by a metal clip comprising a tubular body encircling the axle and provided with one or more inwardly extending tongues frictionally gripping the axle and one or more outwardly projecting tongues frictionally gripping the wall of the recess.
GB1301142 (INTERLEGO AG) concerns simple, efficient and inexpensive fastening means which enables even quite small children to fix the wheel elements safely and securely on the shaft elements without any requirements of skill and accuracy and without any use of tools or accessories. Accordingly, GB1301142 discloses a wheel and shaft arrangement for a toy building set comprising a shaft element having a portion with a non-circular cross-section, a wheel element adapted to be mounted on said portion of the shaft element for rotation therewith, said wheel element having a central bore, the contour of which conforms with the cross-sectional contour of said portion of the shaft element, a recess in the wheel element surrounding the central bore therein, an annular spring adapted to be inserted in the recess and exert a, radial pressure on said portion of the shaft element when the wheel element is mounted thereon, and a hub element adapted to be attached to the wheel element to close the recess so as to define an enclosed annular cavity enclosing the spring.
It follows from the above, that although much attention is on toy safety, there still is a need for improving the safety of toys to avoid toy associated injuries and deaths. In particular, there is a need for improving the safety of toys for younger children to avoid injuries caused by choking or aspiration of small parts of toys.